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I stare at the two people in front of me.
One lost everything she had, and one came to an unfamiliar place and was always treated as bumpkin.
I could understand their hearts wanting to look for a place to lean on.
“The academy is full of eyes that look at me.”
I didn’t do much but there were more forces that hated me than supporting me.
It wasn’t easy to move in front of the ‘watch dogs’ that tried to catch any of my faults.
“If you need a pillar to lean on, it’s better if we go with a cooperative relationship.”
I, who couldn’t be free from gazes, needed someone to be my eyes and ears, and they needed support to lean on.
“Let’s trade with what we need from each other.”
The two who looked at each other with a slightly confused expression looked back at me.
Liz carefully asked.
“What is it that you need, Young Lady?”
“Something like rumors inside and outside the academy recently. Are there any rumors or incidents related to Rocke Merchant Guild or Rany?”
I could accept it if the reason for Rany getting busier was because of the guild’s business.
However, I felt like the expansion of the guild was done in a very rapid way.
Something like they made a plan because they were chased by something?
It wasn’t like Rany, who liked to climb up slowly and thoroughly.
“That . . ”
Liz carefully opened her mouth.
“It’s not recently, but at the hunting competition.”
But Rany wasn’t there back then.
As I stared at her in wonder, she brought up the conversation shared on the table before they invited me.
“As the story of you getting admitted into the Academy, the story about Rany also came out naturally. They said Young Lady Rocke had a fiance.”
“. . .”
Engagement.
I couldn’t know if that was brought up simply because of a rumor or if they really knew something.
‘Officially’, there had been no fiance to Rany.
However, it was true that she had been involved in a marriage proposal talk.
Abigail opened her eyes wide as if she really knew nothing.
She didn’t get along with the other young ladies until recently, so she probably heard less than Liz.
Liz then slightly wary of me.
“However, they’re saying it was broken because of your mistake . . .”
“Who said that?”
Originally, rumor was something made from a small fact added with numerous exciting and fun things on top, but the breaking off engagement of a noble young lady wasn’t something that could be easily talked off.
In the sense that it was a rumor that could tarnish the honor of the parties and even caused shame.
If the family protested, it would be enough to hold a noble trial.
“It was Young Lady Rachel who said that.”
As the name of the dead person came up, Abigail flinched.
Liz also looked complicated.
“But as you know, there were a lot of people at that table.”
For all but me and Liz were seated at that table, led by Young Lady Paris.
“I remember Young Lady Mago was at that table.”
“The clerk of the student council?”
Abigail tilted her head.
The face that always smiled while saying hidden thorny words flashed in mind.
Above anything else, I was sure she had ill will against me, so if she heard an interesting rumor from Rachel, she might have thought she could use it.
On top of that, since the source was already a dead person, she could just pass it to her if it became a problem.
Abigail furrowed her brows and pointed out the doubtful point.
“The question is why Young Lady Mago is hostile to Young Lady Marianne. She is, if I may say, from a neutral family. In addition, there’s been a mishap in her family recently, so I don’t think she’s in a situation to cause a scene.”
“What kind of mishap?”
“It is said that the hand of the only heir to the family has been cut off.”
For a moment my brain stopped thinking.
A young master, whose hand was cut.
“It seems like her relationship with her little brother wasn’t good, but still, this is about the heir of her family having a disability. I heard it happened due to a carriage problem . . .”
“Is the surname of Young Lady Mago, Philips?”
“Yes.”
Mago Philips.
It was only then that my tangled head was cleared up.
I recalled the indifferent eyes swaying the sword in front of my eyes.
I never thought about what happened to the young master who was full of horror after that.
As if my expression was unusual, both of them closed their mouths tight and looked at me.
“If there’s a rumor or a big scandal in the Academy, can you keep me updated for a while?”
The two people, who gladly nodded to my request, left and my head turned more complicated.
Nothing had been revealed yet, but given her hostile attitude, it seemed obvious she would attack ‘me’ through attacking Rany.
Rany was going to be targeted because she was close to me.
I could see her impatience to expand the merchant guild and increase her influence.
Perhaps there had been pressure or sanctions on the Rocke Merchant Guild already.
My blood cooled down.
It was a fatal attack to bring up the issue of a young lady’s breaking off her engagement in high society, where reputation was important.
Clutching tight the pendant, I quietly called Zen.
“I know you’re listening. Come out right now.”
As I opened the window, the cold wind permeated in.
My room was on the upper floor of the mansion, enough to make me dizzy looking at the ground beyond the fluttering curtains.
I raised my foot on the railing.
I had already persuaded him enough with words, so there was no reason for me to say anything more.